Forest Diversity and Pulp Quality: Some Tools for Wooden Raw Material Strategies for the Pulp and Paper Industry

Abstract

In order to increase pulp quality, to reduce mill operation fluctuations, and to decrease wood raw material costs, a clear tendency for the pulp and paper industry to operate single wood species coming from fast growing planted forests is nowadays observed [1]. Selected elite trees based on important breeding programs are used to compose the forests in order to reduce rotation time and to increase both pulp yield and quality. Eucalypt in South America and Australia, radiata pine in North America, and maritime pine in Southern Europe are some examples of this approach.